Top 10 Anime Characters That Went From Loved To Hated

Top 10 Anime Characters That Went from Loved To Hated

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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we are counting down our picks for the Top 10 Anime Characters That Went from Loved To Hated. For this list, we’re going to be looking at the times where once beloved characters did a complete one eighty and ended up as loathsome shells of their former splendor. Think we missed out on any key regressions? Let us know in the comments. Also, spoilers ahead!

“Deadman Wonderland” (2011) Who doesn’t love adorable, awkward, albino waifu? Shiro is no exception, being one of the few bright spots for Ganta during his incarceration. Nothing like a potential love interest when you’re facing daily brutality and death games, right? Well, that flipped when it was revealed that Shiro was actually the Red Man – the insidious being responsible for slaughtering Ganta’s entire class, and thus paving the way for his current predicament. Mass murder certainly has a way of dampening one’s cuteness factor.

#9: Ao

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“Boruto: Naruto Next Generations” (2007-) I mean, sure he was a side character among side characters, but given his efforts in the Fourth Ninja War, it was easy enough for a character like Ao to earn himself some brownie points. After all, what is Boruto except every minor character coming out of the woodwork to suddenly have a major role? Unfortunately, whatever goodwill Ao accumulated went down the drain when he exposed himself as a member of Kara, along with a major fetish for body modifications. His betrayal was unexpected, but didn’t do him much good in the end.

“Gurren Lagann” (2007) We can understand being a conscientious objector, but the way in which this one-time ally of Team Dai-Gurren uprooted and overthrew Simon to secure himself power was the biggest dick move of them all. Acting all high and mighty with his religious philosophy, Rossiu single handedly sent our boy to the slammer, thinking he was the better man for the job. Yeah, yeah, we know he repented in the end, but as far as we’re concerned, he deserved more than that one punch to the jaw.

“The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” (2006-09) She’s one of anime’s most iconic ladies, but that doesn’t mean she’s a saint by any means. While often displaying selfish tendencies when things with the SOS Brigade didn’t go her way, the tipping point for fans came during the anime’s most infamous arc. That’s right, it’s back to the Endless Eight. Given how it was Haruhi who was responsible for making fans relive eight episodes of the exact same thing, by the time the loop came to a close, people were ready to crucify the would-be goddess. Things simmered down after the endless finally ended, but it was a pretty dark period for Miss Suzumiya.

“The Promised Neverland” (2019-21) While we would like to put the second season of Promised Neverland here as a whole, the truth is that Emma’s character took a bit of a nosedive when she finally broke free of the orphanage. While the terrible pacing and editing did no favors to expanding on her character, Emma’s realization that she doesn’t want to kill demons did not sit well with fans. We’re all for having morals but…these things turned your home into a butchery and have frequently tried to eat you. Surely pacifism is now a non-option!

“Erased” (2016) Even with all the tropes we’ve come to expect, there’s just something wholly rotten when you see a teacher go after their student with malicious intent. Acting as a caring, guiding figure for Satoru during the course of his time-travelling antics, Gaku’s true motives were of a far grimmer nature, being the one responsible for the kidnapping and murder of his classmates…and taking obscene amounts of pleasure in it. It’s a great twist reveal, and did a hell of a job shattering any and all sympathy in one fell swoop.

“One Piece” (1999-) Despite arriving late to the pirate game, Oden has since gone down as a paragon of a character, held up by his sense of honor, loyalty, and love for his countrymen. In that same aspect, fans had all come to appreciate his personal retainers – warriors who would give their life for the man they had vowed to serve. Kanjuro among them. And then he revealed himself to be a traitor. A deceiver so committed to his performance he fooled everyone, but was actually in Orochi’s pocket the whole time. Now everyone’s waiting for him to get a katana up the backside.

“Rent-A-Girlfriend” (2020) You nearly had it man. You appealed to the inner, lovesick nerd in all of us, and almost had us believing you were a relatable loser we would all come to root for. And then you messed it up by diving headfirst into the simp zone. It’s not so much that Kazuya decided to take a chance on paying for a fake date with a fake girlfriend while he was feeling dejected that has all of us hating on him – it’s the fact he did all of that…and then complained about it every step of the way! The self pity on this guy knows no bounds.

“Attack on Titan” (2013-) We’ll give this turncoat one thing – he’s a survivor. Having endured the hell that was the Beast Titan’s attacks, fans were given every reason to understand Floch’s point of view when it came to Erwin, the Survey Corp, and war as a whole. He was an interesting addition we could see integrating into the main cast really well. Then the time skip happened, and he became the poster boy for radicalisation. The head honcho of the Yeagerists, Floch will do anything and kill anyone to ensure the return of Eldia’s glory, and ensure the cycle of subjugation and revenge continues.

“Berserk” (1997-98) A masterful descent into villainy is something to be admired, but that doesn’t make us despise the White Hawk any less. Once the charismatic commander of the Band of the Hawk, one terrible decision left Griffith as a cripple, while his dreams of gaining his own kingdom turned to dust. That is, until the God Hand made him an offer of divinity…and all he had to do was sacrifice all his friends in a ritualistic massacre. He took them up on it, and thus Femto was born. Throw in his brutalisation of Casca just to spite Guts, and you have yourself a scumbag of luciferian proportion.